Today my mind is a bit blank. I was on a deadline and the day sped by so fast that I missed lunch. But it wasn’t a stressful day, I’m not exhausted, just a bit spent. I knew I would get my work done and I knew I’d be able to leave work at a reasonable time and relax tonight. But there’s something about days like today, when it’s the end of a long week and you feel satisfied with the work you did. When you know you did well. It’s a good feeling, a feeling of being satiated.

I’m learning to savor this feeling. I spent so many years beating myself up for all my little mistakes. I would lie awake all night going over every little thing I did wrong. I never remembered the things I did well, which almost always vastly outnumber the failures. I’m learning to celebrate the small victories. Celebrating the small victories serves as a reminder on the days that are hard that not everything is for naught. It reminds me that the small things matter as much as the big ones.

So, I guess I want to tell you to celebrate the small things. Give yourself a pat on the back for hitting that deadline or getting through that meeting you were dreading. Maybe you feel like you’re just a cog in the machine or just plodding along aimlessly, but remember: every cog matters and every step forward gets you somewhere new. We all make mistakes, because that’s just human, but we also all have successes. We wouldn’t care about the successes if we didn’t have the failures to motivate and teach us. Remember that everything is worth the effort you put in, because your effort is never wasted, because you are important. You matter.

Love,
February

(Here’s another Frank Turner song that helps me pick myself back up on the harder days.)